Thursday, February 11, 2010

The other day I happened to be witness to an unfortunate situation. There could have been some less than desirable outcomes for the patient. Fortunately however it didn't turn out that way. As with all errors and failures in judgement, there is a lesson to be learned here. The lesson here being complacency is dangerous.

Whether your driving, walking down the street, treating a patient, or handling a firearm. The second you lose sight of what your doing, or worse even, fail to recognize the potential consequences of your actions, you have put yourself behind the curve.

In this particular situation, a seemingly harmless act had the potential to cause great harm. As a healthcare provider, at any level of care, your responsibilty to the patient comes first. Never forget that it is your responsibility and your's alone. Don't trust anyone else to look out for your intrests. At the end of the day, it's your name that goes in the chart. And if something goes wrong, it's your responsibility to answer for it.